Star Wars palace facing ruin

Italian heritage officials have raised the alarm over the deteriorating state of a palace which has featured in a number of Hollywood films, including Star Wars, after pieces of falling masonry nearly struck a group of tourists.

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In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it stood in for the palace of Queen Amidala, played by Natalie PortmanPhoto: ALAMY

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The palace was commissioned by a Bourbon monarch, King Charles III, in the 1750s and was intended to rival VersaillesPhoto: ALAMY

Cultural heritage authorities have appealed to the Italian government for urgent funds to preserve the former Bourbon royal palace of Caserta, near Naples, which has been called Italy's answer to Versailles.

Last week a family of visitors was almost hit by a chunk of cornice which fell from the facade of the huge palace, which doubled up as the Vatican in Mission: Impossible III and the prequel to the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons.

Paola Raffaella David, a senior cultural heritage official in the region, said the fact that bits were crumbling off the vast palace was "serious".

"In the last 10 days two pieces of the exterior have collapsed as a result of the deterioration of the iron clamps which hold the marble to the facade.

"We are seriously worried because the piece of the cornice that broke off comes from an area that was restored only 30 years ago." She called on the culture ministry to carry out urgent inspections of all the entrances to the building, through which thousands of visitors pass each day.

It is estimated that up to seven million euros (£5.66 million) are needed to carry out repairs and restoration – a sum that may be hard to come by as Italy buckles under government spending cuts and a tough austerity drive.

"We will try to find the money. We have the duty to protect this monument, which is a World Heritage site," said Gregorio Angelini, the director of cultural heritage for the Campania region.

The palace was commissioned by a Bourbon monarch, King Charles III, in the 1750s and was intended to rival Versailles.

One of the largest palaces in Europe, it has 1,200 rooms and took nearly a century to build.

In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, it stood in for the palace of Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman.

In November last year the palace had to be temporarily closed because there was not enough money to pay the 150 staff to work on a public holiday.